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Meteors Hurtle to Victory over UL in Sports Hall

After a game that was nip and tuck throughout, Trinity's basketballers made it five wins in seven in Division 1 of the National League this season.

Muireann Nic CorcráinAssistant Sports Editor

Ivan Rakhmanin for The University Times

On Saturday evening, in their final game of 2018, Trinity’s newest sports club saw off the University of Limerick (UL) to keep pace at the top of Division 1 of the National League. In a game that was for the most part relatively even, Trinity had too much gas in the tank for UL and slowly wore them down.

UL started off strongly, with a three-pointer in the first minute from their captain. Missed opportunities abounded on both sides, as both teams tried to settle into the match as quickly as possible. After some near misses, Trinity went in front with a three-pointer from Susan Fogarty, which gave the hosts the momentum they needed to start asserting their dominance on the court.

As the quarter went on, however, it was very hard to see who would come out on top, with UL answering every score Trinity converted. In the closing minutes, well-taken chances through interceptions and accurate layups saw the home side inch ahead by two points.

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The intensity increased in the second quarter. UL went ahead, before Trinity burst back. A counter-attack from the Huskies left Trinity’s defence scrambling, but Rebecca Rabeiro made a well-timed interception before sprinting the length of the court and converting a layup to put three points between the teams.

But UL were not going to give up so easily, landing a score of their own that was cancelled out by another Trinity basket soon after. The trading of scores continued, but with the Meteors gaining a few extra baskets, they went in at half-time with a 29-22 lead.

UL began the third quarter with two free throws from Abbie Goodsell, who converted the first but failed to score the second shot. It was impossible to see the margin widening by more than a few points, with both teams well able to answer each other within a short amount of time.

As Trinity maintained the momentum they had brought from the first whistle, they slowly lengthened their lead, but UL kept them on their toes. Katie Kilbride shone for the Meteors, scoring a great three-pointer and helping to keep her teammates’ spirits up as the grueling encounter continued.

The fourth quarter was always going to be the most challenging one, with the teams breathing down each other’s necks in search of a win. UL began the final quarter as they did the first, by opening the scoring. But the energy of the Meteors propelled them ahead when it was really needed, pulling them away to a 50-36 lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

Goodsell, for the visitors, converted another three-pointer in an attempt to narrow the gap, with an exchange of baskets between the sides keeping the game interesting. A free throw for UL saw the rebound land in the hands of Trinity’s Doyle, who made no mistake in punishing her opposition’s mistake with a well-taken basket. As the quarter drew to a close, the widening margin and accuracy of Trinity ensured that they would be the ones who would be walking away with the points, with the final score reading 68-48 in their favour.